It felt there had been an extra push for the 5th edition of 'Doom Over Scania'. Some more promotion did the event good as the crowd had grown to at least double size this year. And it was a quite spectacular line-up also, if I’m allowed to say as I was on it myself. No matter what, it is very nice to have an event like this next door.

DESOLATE PATHWAY opened the evening. Their fuzzy but still epic type of Doom got the place moving quickly. It’s easy to dig in to so it was a perfect start of the night. They’re a bit odd though but that’s why I like it. Opening “Enchanted Voices” have a good beat to it which proves the previous statement. The oddities come in the breaks and the edge structure of the chorus. The same elements are there in “Medusas Lair” as well, but instead of the typical epic sound the BLACK SABBATH-oozing riffs that pervade the song gives it a slightly different feel. The desperation and sad tone in Vince Hempstead voice dresses the music really well.

This became very clear in the bands trademark track “Desolate Pathway” which else is more towards WITCHFINDER GENERAL rather than classic Doom. But that’s also the fines with it, that there are different styles but still kept within the concept. I realized the songs I liked the most from DESOLATE PATHWAY’s set was from latest album “Of Gods And Heroes” so also “Trojan War” and set-closer “Gods Of The Deep” went down well. In general everything sounded good, even though DESOLATE PATHWAY is a trio the sound was powerful and very suitable for their style of music.

It always is odd when playing in the middle of other work, like reviewing 'Doom Over Scania' and playing with CULT OF THE FOX. And frankly I don’t know why a Heavy Metal band like CULT OF THE FOX was invited to play but as cool as the event is, it wasn’t hard to accept. And it was a fun gig, well-organized and the sound on stage was good. I don’t think I’ve ever heard myself as much ever before. There are of course always things that could have been done better, like practicing a bit more with the pedals. Normally I prefer a pretty plain sound but since we were one man short this night the extra effects were needed to boost the sound here and there. So, from a completely different perspective this was a good gig, no serious f**k-ups and a good crowd supporting us singing along here and there.

It actually felt rather sad to watch MORTALICUM this night. This was announced as their last gig before putting the band down and I couldn't help but thinking that they're way too good to quit. Which actually distracted me a bit and I couldn't fully enjoy the show.

But for sure they sounded good. Up-tempo and groovy “Eyes Of The Demon” which started the show is a favorite and it got everything moving. Also “Iron Star”, even though it's a bit slower went down really well. Henrik Högl's voice fits both the groovy and epic stuff. The first three songs in the set, including “Beneath The Oak” was taken from MORTALICUM's latest release, the 2015 “Eyes Of The Demon”. Then the set turned towards older songs. “The Endless Sacrifice” doesn't differ much in style from the newer songs though. Another real highlight was epic “Damnation Of The Soul”, the melancholy is fantastic and I really like the mix of mellow and heavy. Those really mellow passages normally get a little messy live since it's hard to control dynamics on stage. But that's not the case for MORTALICUM, this song was performed flawlessly.

The ending with “My Dying Soul” and “Devil’s Hand” was the top of the set though. The combination of drive, melody and a nice beat always work. And it sure went down well. So for a last gig it sure was a great one and I'm really glad I got to see it.

I can't deny that I was eagerly looking forward to seeing COUNT RAVEN. They have been a favorite band since way back and I love the records. However, they haven't blown me away every time they've played, it has been a bit up and down. But the pre-alerts and gossips passing me by prior to the show sure had boosted my expectations.

Fantastic “Wolfmoon” opened the set and was followed by “Within The Garden Of Mirrors” from the “Storm Warning” debut. I guess it's redundant information to say I was pleased at this point already. Also brand new “The Poltergeist” sounded very good and confirms that COUNT RAVEN still have the ability to write really good songs. But for me, as well as most others present, it was the ones from the three first albums that meant the most. “An Ordinary Loser” from “High On Infinity” was definitely a highlight. The desperation and sadness were perfectly portrayed. Dan Fondelius’ voice sounds now just as it did there back in the early 90's. The same can be said about both “The Madman From Waco” and “Children's Holocaust”. It was really cool at the absolute end of the first of the two. It ends with only vocals for the final love, Dan got quiet and just looked at the crowd who really gave it all. And it sure was loud, even Dan looked a bit surprised by the response.

Then “Jen” closed the main set, one of few COUNT RAVEN songs that never really stuck. I thought it was quite boring compared to the rest when digging in to “High On Infinity” but I must say I've turned around nowadays. It has a very nice beat to it, but yes, I still think it works better live than on record. On the other hand, when COUNT RAVEN are performing as they did here, they could have played just anything and it would have sounded fantastic no matter what. So yes, this was a great performance which exceeded my expectations by far.

But the night wasn't over yet! There was another band to hit the stage and for a change, since the event was kept on time there was quite a crowd still present for IRON VOID. They must have gotten straight from watching COUNT RAVEN to the stage. It's always cool when bands show support for each other like this. The high quality of the pervious bands was maintained by IRON VOID who actually sounded better than ever before. They'd found that intensity and force which made it all stick. “I Am War” is of course a favorite anyway but the clear and powerful sound boosted that one even further.

The crowd at Farozon was also offered two songs from the new IRON VOID album “Excalubur”, first “The Coming Of A King” which leans towards an Epic sound compared to the rather straight forward fuzzy sound of the earlier records. All good if you’d ask me. Also “The Grail Quest” sounded very good. And it's interesting that, since also “Lost Faith” which came just before this in the set, are quite similar when it comes to pace and rhythm still can come across so different. I sure liked the new songs. Then another favorite, “The Devil's Daughter”, ended IRON VOID's set. That one is lighter than the rest and boosted the party mood. Just a shame the night was over with this.

This was definitely one of the best 'Doom Over Scania' festivals. The line-up was really good but most important, all bands did great performances and it was a fun night out.